At the Beginning
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: We were strangers on a crazy adventure... I knew there was somebody somewhere like me alone in the dark... Another outtake from Journey On. May add to JO, if you guys would like.


**At the Beginning**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Summary: We were strangers on a crazy adventure... I knew there was somebody somewhere like me alone in the dark... Another outtake from _Journey On_. May add to _JO_, if you guys would like. **

_We were strangers_  
_Starting out on a journey_  
_Never dreaming_  
_What we'd have to go through_  
_Now here we are_  
_And I'm suddenly standing_  
_At the beginning with you_

"I don't know, Yero. Are we really ready for this?"

The Crown Prince of the Vinkus turned to look at his bride, who's long, thick, lush, raven hair was piled in a heap of curls on her beautiful head.

Forced, was more like it. As usual, his wife had fought her maid every second for the last six hours on everything- from the strapless, midnight dress she now wore, to the subtle brush of makeup on her cheeks and eyes, to the soft, black satin slippers she now tripped over. She stumbled, and he reached out, grabbing her gently by the arm.

"Careful, Dove."

"Thank you, Yero." He nodded, and kissed her knuckles gently.

"Welcome, my sweet."

Once she was back on her feet, he returned to pulling on his dinner jacket. She watched him for several minutes, before going to him and wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"Yero?"

"Hmm?"

"Am I really ready to debut into society?" He met her eyes in the mirror, before turning in her arms and taking her chin in his hand. He looked into her aquamarine depths, before replying,

"You debuted into Munchkin society, love, not Vinkun. Our people need to meet their new Crown Princess, which is what this ball is for." He kissed her quickly, being careful not to smudge her makeup, before removing himself from her arms and going to the window. She sighed.

_No one told me_  
_I was going to find you_  
_Unexpected_  
_What you did to my heart_  
_When I lost hope_  
_You were there to remind me_  
_This is the start_

"But Yero... do they really... need to know me?"

"Dove, we're going to take the throne someday. Our people need to know who's going to be their queen when that happens." He replied, going to her and lifting her chin. She met his eyes.

"Our people?" He nodded.

"Yes. They're as much your people as they are mine." A smile appeared on her pretty face, and she kissed him, before a knock sounded at the door. "Come in." Fiyero called, pulling away as his parents entered.

"Well, are you two ready?" Fiyero nodded.

"Yes, we're ready."

Then, he turned to Elphaba, and offered her his arm. "Ready, Dove?" She shook her head as she took his arm, and allowed him to place a loving kiss on her temple, before they left the room and moved towards the ballroom, each step bringing her closer to her doom.

It was nerve racking. Absolutely nerve racking.

_Life is a road_  
_And I want to keep going_  
_Love is a river_  
_I wanna keep flowing_  
_Life is a road_  
_Now and forever_  
_Wonderful journey_

As if debuting into _Munchkin_ society wasn't bad enough, debuting into Vinkun society had to be the most terrifying experience of her short life. She loved Fiyero, she really did, but this was not worth being his wife. None of it. Once the royal family made it to the grand staircase, Elphaba was able to look around at the people that would be her subjects one day. They watched and waited, whispering every so often about the green-skinned Crown Princess.

Slowly, they made their way down the staircase to the ballroom floor. Every so often, Fiyero would squeeze her arm in reassurance, but her nerves would block it. Once they were halfway down the stairs, she misstepped, tripping on her skirt, and landing on her rump on the staircase. Her curls collapsed, falling down around her shoulders and face, the tiara hanging precariously by one stubborn curl. She looked so much like the girl Fiyero had met in the library of the Govenor's mansion that night, that he couldn't help the smile on his face.

Of course his wife caught sight of the smile, and promptly burst into tears, because she thought he was laughing at her. Those gorgeous aquamarine eyes welled with tears that spilled over onto her cheeks, and she slowly, carefully rose to her feet. She chanced a glance around the room, noticing the shocked looks on the faces of those there, and took a deep breath. Then, much like she'd done the night she'd met Fiyero, the night Frex had told her she was betrothed to him, she gathered her skirt, turned, and fled back up the staircase and through the double doors. And much like that night, they slammed, leaving Fiyero stunned.

_I'll be there_  
_When the world stops turning_  
_I'll be there_  
_When the storm is through_  
_In the end I wanna be standing_  
_At the beginning with you_

Once she was safely out of the ballroom, she let the tears flow freely, and rushed down the hallway, passing servants who tried to help. If she were back in Munchkinland, she would have run to her mother's room in the west wing, but she wasn't and so she rushed to the one place she knew would bring sanctuary: the gardens. Finally reaching the kitchens, she pulled the door open, and rushed outside into the cool night air. It was a night so like the night she'd debuted in Munchkinland. Warm, balmy, with a hint of coolness. Not caring that her dress was becoming ruined, she rushed past the stables, to the walled up garden she'd seen earlier, when Fiyero had shown her around.

However, when she reached the garden, she couldn't find the door, and followed the wall for a while, searching. It was then that the hand clamped down on her shoulder. She screamed, and spun, only to find Fiyero behind her, worry evident in his eyes.

"Hush, Dove. It's okay."

She pulled away when he reached up to wipe her tears away.

"It's not okay Yero! I just made a complete fool of myself! In front of the whole Vinkun court! In front of your parents! In front of you! I bet I know what they're discussing. 'How are we going to send her back? She embarrassed the royal family, we can't have her bear our grandchildren, she's going to be responsible for birthing an heir! We have to get rid of her.' I know it. That's what they're discussing!"

"No they aren't, love." Fiyero whispered, reaching out to grasp her shoulders, but she pulled away.

"Yes they are! You can't have someone like me bring a child into the world, what if I do something to screw it up? I'm better off going back to Munchkinland-"

"So your uncle can kill you?" He interjected. She hiccuped, and wrapped her arms around herself. "That's not going to happen, Dove. I wouldn't let it. And neither would my parents." He whispered, reaching out to lift her chin.

_We were strangers_  
_On a crazy adventure_  
_Never dreaming_  
_How our dreams would come true_  
_Now here we stand_  
_Unafraid of the future_  
_At the beginning with you_

"Fiyero's right, Elphaba. We wouldn't send you back. We love you." It was then that Elphaba saw Suqari and Chelseqa step out from the shadows. "You're our daughter-in-law. And you aren't the first of the Crown Princesses to embarrass herself in front of the court." Elphaba furrowed her brow, confused.

"Wh... what do you mean, Mother?"

Chelseqa blushed.

"When I debuted in Vinkun society, not long after I married your father.... we were at the dinner, and I pushed my chair back to get up, and when I turned to leave, I didn't realize that my foot had gotten caught in the tablecloth. You know how long they are," The two nodded. "And when I moved away from the table, I pulled the tablecloth, plates, food- the whole feast- with me. Of course I tripped over my own two feet, and fell back into the plum pudding and vanilla cake. I was so embarrassed, I wanted to die, and actually crawled under the table and stayed there the rest of dinner."

The others laughed softly, and even Elphaba had a smile on her face.

"Elphaba, everyone does something to embarrass themselves. The way you get over it, is to go back with your head held high and accept the fact that you made a mistake. Because then people can look past it and accept that you're human."

After a moment, Elphaba threw her arms around Chelseqa's shoulders, and sniffled.

_Life is a road_  
_And I want to keep going_  
_Love is a river_  
_I wanna keep flowing_  
_Life is a road_  
_Now and forever_  
_Wonderful journey_

"Thank you."

The Queen rubbed her back.

"You're welcome." When the two pulled away, she took her husband's arm, and turned back to her daughter-in-law. She nodded to her, before the two left, leaving them alone. Once they were gone, Fiyero turned to her.

"See, you aren't the only one." Elphaba nodded, sniffling. Sighing, he pulled her into his arms. "I love you." He whispered, kissing her temple. She let her eyes close at the feel of his kiss.

"I love you too."

Then, they shared a loving, tender kiss, before he asked,

"Shall we?" She nodded, and took his hand, allowing him to lead her back to the castle and ball.

_I'll be there_  
_When the world stops turning_  
_I'll be there_  
_When the storm is through_  
_In the end I wanna be standing_  
_At the beginning with you_

"Life is an adventure." She looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it's an adventure. It's a journey. Everyone has a journey to complete, and sometimes two journeys cross paths, and bring two people together." He said, kissing her knuckles.

"Like us?" She asked, understanding, as they took their time going back to the ball. He nodded.

"Definately like us." He kissed her temple, and whispered, "It's a beginning."

"What is?" She asked, meeting his eyes. He shrugged.

_I knew there was somebody somewhere_  
_Like me alone in the dark_  
_Now I know my dream will live on_  
_I've been waiting so long_  
_Nothing's gonna tear us apart_

"Us. This. Our lives.... or life if you want to get technical. Our journeys caused our paths to diverge and cross, and.... what we're on now is a journey. A beginning. The two of us." She walked, listening, turning everything over in her mind.

"You really think so?" He nodded.

"Absolutely. We're travelers..... starting out on a journey..."

They continued through the castle, finally making it back to the ballroom. Once there, he turned to her, took her face in his hands, and kissed her deeply.

"I love you." He whispered. "I really, absolutely, truly love you. And.... you can fall on your rump again, you can tear your dress, you can.... drag the whole banquet table down and land in the cake for all I care, and I will _still_ love you. Nothing- no blood-thirsty uncle, no skin tone, no embarrassing moment- is going to change that. I will always love you. From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I've loved you. Understand? Dove, do you understand?" He asked, shaking her gently.

_Life is a road_  
_And I want to keep going_  
_Love is a river_  
_I wanna keep flowing_  
_Life is a road_  
_Now and forever_  
_Wonderful journey_

"I understand," She whispered, sniffling, fresh tears racing down her cheeks. She sniffled, wiped the tears and whispered, "I love you too."

He kissed her again, pulling her flush against him, holding her until only their clothing separated them, and kissed her so deeply, so passionately, so _violently_, that the world seemed to fall away, and they seemed to be flying. When they came up for air, she whispered,

"Strangers. We're strangers, starting out on a journey." He nodded, and captured her lips again. When he pulled away, he whispered softly against her lips,

"You know, no one told me that I was going to find you that night in the library. You were... a surprise, to say the least. And... what you did to my heart in the course of that one night... I'll never forget. You made me rethink my position as prince. Up until then, I was seriously considering abdicating even before I would have to take the throne. But... seeing you... meeting you... gave me hope."

She couldn't help the smile, and reached up to cup his cheek.

"You were going to-" He nodded. "I'm so glad you didn't."

"So am I." When they broke the next kiss, she whispered,

"I never- never- dreamed that my dreams would come true one day. But.... they have. I used to be afraid of the future, and now I'm not. Because I'm with you. Before, I was alone, and I'm not anymore. I've been waiting for something to happen in my life, that.... that night.... I gave up. Until you walked into the library."

_I'll be there_  
_When the world stops turning_  
_I'll be there_  
_When the storm is through_  
_In the end I wanna be standing_  
_At the beginning with you_

He kissed her again, and reached for the door.

"Yero?"

"What is it, Dove?"

"Nothing's going to tear us apart, right? We'll always be together?"

The fear in her eyes shone so bright, that he gathered her in his arms.

"Nothing. We're always going to be together, Dove. Always. Because I can't imagine life without you." He kissed her fear away, and breathed in her scent. Looking into her eyes, he whispered,

"Life is a road, love is a river, and in the end, when everything is over, when the world stops turning and the storm is through, I'm going to be standing right here, _right here _at the beginning with you."

_Life is a road and I wanna keep going_  
_Love is a river I wanna keep going on...._  
_Starting out on a journey_  
_Life is a road and I wanna going_  
_Love is river I wanna keep flowing_  
_In the end I wanna be standing_  
_At the beginning with you._


End file.
